Advantages

Disadvantages

The beginning of a legendary career

"Reservoir Dogs" is a 1992 American Crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, it stars Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn and Tarantino himself.------------------The Plot:The movie opens with 8 men eating breakfast in a Diner, 6 of them dressed in identical black suits with a white shirt and black tie, we later discover the men have been hired to perform a Jewelry heist by the other 2 men at the Diner, "Nice Guy Eddie" ( Chris Penn ) and Joe ( Lawrence Tierney ), the men have each been given aliases to prevent each of them knowing much about the other, the names given are Mr White ( Harvey Keitel ), Mr Blonde ( Michael Madsen ) Mr Brown ( Quentin Tarantino ) Mr Blue ( Eddie Bunker ). Mr Orange ( Tim Roth ), Mr Pink ( Steve Buscemi ).

The movie is shot out of sequence and as such you see different pieces of the story at different times all interspersed, however the Heist doesn't go well and the remaining members of the gang must all figure out what went wrong and also deal with some personal issues amongst them, also one of them isn't as he seems !!

------------------------------------------

Reservoir Dogs is probably the ultimate independent movie, Tarantino was going to direct this on a very small budget with just a few friends, however Harvey Keitel got involved and the movie received a bigger budget, which shows.

While not an instant hit, ( It was only released to a limited number of theatres ) it gained a cult following and gained even more recognition 2 years later when Tarantino's next movie ( Pulp Fiction ) was released and took off in a major way.

Reservoir Dogs key to success is the unique style of Tarantino's writing and directing, also his movies are very heavily dialogue based and nowhere is this more apparent as in this movie, there really aren't many action sequences or many other sequences shot anywhere else besides in the warehouse where 90% of the movie takes place, Tarantino's scriptwriting is genius and the dialogue flows smoothly from each and every actor.

The ensemble cast does their jobs very well, there are some odd choices for actors and you can tell that Tarantino was not only limited on budget, but loves to work outside of the mainstream hollywood circle and you can tell each actor has Tarantino's stamp of approval and each fulfils their roles as well as intended.

Reservoir Dogs isn't for everybody, if you're not a fan of sharp witty dialogue in movies, or indeed gratuitous violence then this really isn't the movie for you, for those expecting an action roller coaster ride this isn't the movie for you either, but if you're looking for the perfect example of how one talented individual with a great idea manages to climb to the top of the Hollywood mountain then this is perfect for you.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Go on, it's iconic.

Tarantino strikes again...or rather, for the first time.

A beautifully simple story- a bunch of criminals, none of whom know each other beyond their own codenames, Mr Pink, Mr Blue, Mr White, etc, get together to pull a diamond heist. And of course, it all goes horribly wrong.

It typical Tarantino style, the script is brilliantly smart and sharp in a way only he can do. Plus, we get to see Steve Buscemi in a pivotal role as Mr Pink (Why is he Mr Pink? Because he's a big girl, obviously. He wanted to be Mr Purple, but that was taken)

So the heist goes wrong, Tim Roth gets shot, Harvey Keital is trying to save his life, and then Michael Matheson decides to kidnap and torture a cop...for no other reason than that he's a bit of a psycho.

It's dark and gritty and hilarious, and what I truly love about it is the interconnected nature of his characters. Matheson's character is a Vega Brother (brother to JOhn Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction). They talk about Scagnetti, the Parole Officer (a character from Natural Born Killers). They mention Alabama, a character from True Romance, written by Tarantino.

The beautiful thing about this film is that it's obvious how much Tarantino loved it, was proud of it and was desperate to make it a reality. it is literally the symbol of his dreams coming to fruition, and the start of his stellar career.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

A heist gone bad containing a lot of red issues

Watched again today for the first time in ages, so decided to write a little review of it.

The film is about a group of gangsters who do a diamond heist that goes wrong due to an informant within the group. Cue paranoia and load of flashbacks for back-story.

Although a pretty cliched premise the film is pulled off wonderfully by Tarantino - his first proper feature length - on a tiny budget. Cast members had to bring their own costumes and cars. The script is brilliant which works well for the minimal locations.

Most of the action occurs in the safe-house. An abandoned warehouse where they were supposed to meet after the heist. Because of this action centered around one building, the film has been adapted into a play.

Vic Vega, played by Michael Madsen, has the most notorious and homaged part in the film: the removal of the policeman's ear whilst listening to Stuck in The Middle by Stealers Wheel. Dark and strangely amusing. Geeks will notice the Vega surname and instantly jump to Vincent Vega (John Travolta - Pulp Fiction). The two are brothers and were originally going to be in a film called The Vega Brothers. Turbo-Geeks will notice the mention of Alabama by Harvey Keitel's character Mr White: Alabama being one of the protagonist's of True Romance. Vic Vega also mentions Officer Scagnetti, the man who's after the Knoxes in Natural Born Killers. A wonderfully thought out universe by Tarantino. It all kind of becomes a violent Tolkienesque world in how well everything's thought out and interconnected.

A must watch to see one of the greats at cinema at work before the fame got slightly into his head.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

One of the best crime thrillers of all time.

Perhaps one of the most iconic and memorable films of it time, Reservoir Dogs was the film the brought Quentin Tarantino to the director's chair. It brought about a change in the way films are directed (flashbacks, heavy violence), and even now remains a film with one of the sharpest scripts with an outstanding plot of all time. Before this, the majority of film violence had been at times shocking, but never explicit. In this film, the violence really was stepped up (one scene is very violent), and excessive swearing became the norm in many films. This film basically takes the heist idea and twists it around and around. It has a stella character actor cast including Tim Roth, Harvey Keital, Lawrence Tierney, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn and the scene stealing Michael Madsen.

The film starts before the robbery with a wonderful scene in a restaurant where a group of thieves and their boss have finished eating. The talk about the Madonna film 'Like a Virgin', and then have a disagreement about the idea of tips for waitresses. Finally, after some bonding, the men all leave. They are all known by codenames relating to colours, including Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr Blue (Edward Bunker), Mr Brown (Tarantino himself), Mr Orange (Tim Roth), Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) and Mr White (Harvey Keital). Then there are the bosses, Joe Cabot (Tierney) and his son 'Nice Guy' Eddie (Chris Penn).

We then cut to after the robbery, where everything has gone wrong. Mr White is trying to drive whilst comfort Mr Orange, who has been shot in the stomach and could die as he is bleeding so much. They are travelling to the warehouse where they are supposed to meet.

Upon arriving, Mr White helps Mr Orange as much as he can. They are soon joined by Mr Pink, who suggests that there was a police setup and that was why the robbery went wrong. They discuss what happened and tell each other what went wrong, who died and what they think they should do. A lot of the story is told through flashbacks.

Then Mr Blonde arrives. He's a psychopath, and has found a police officer to torture. The film then takes a nastier turn as the men start to succumb to paranoia. Through other flashbacks, we see what else happened and how the robber came about. Finally, with clearer facts and the men unravelling, there is a classic climax that has become iconic in itself.

This was a milestone in film in many ways. There is a lot more violence, and Tarantino really pushed the boundaries. Perhaps the most memorable of all is the scene in which Michael Madsen's Mr Blond tortures the police officer to 'Stuck in the Middle with You'. And of course, the final climax scene is heavily influenced by the western genre.

The plot of the heist and an inside man is an old one. But Tarantino's execution is brilliant. The script is so sharp and has one liners left right and centre, along with some perfect dialogue. The characterization is just as good, especially with Mr Blond, Mr White, Mr Pink and Mr Orange. But perhaps what makes this iconic is the way in which the scenes are presented. The film has a beginning, a middle and an end, but everything is told in flashbacks. So it goes from the middle to the end, then the start, then back to the end and so on. It keeps you thinking all the time, and keeps the film fresh with some great twists.

The acting is outstanding. Tarantino often uses character actors in his films, rather than just stars. And because of that, you can really relate to the characters in the film. The stand out man of this is Michael Madsen as Mr Blond, who is a very subtle psychopath. But there is great support from the other actors, most specifically Steve Buscemi as Mr Pink.

A classic, but not for the faint hearted. This does have some disturbing scenes and a lot of swearing.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

It's Cool to be Crim!

Iconic and influential. Those two words pretty much tell you all you need to know about Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. So how did a low-budget release, made by a first time writer-director end up being one of the most copied films of the last 20 years?

The answer is simple: by concentrating on the things that have always made a good film; story, characters and dialogue.

Reservoir Dogs may have been Tarantino's first proper film, but all the elements which gave rise to the adjective "Tarantino-esque" are already in place. The fractured approach to story telling, the inter-weaving of several plot stands, snappy, quotable and often irrelevant dialogue all combine to make Reservoir Dogs something just a little different.

The main story is simplicity itself. Several criminals who know each other only by code names plan and carry out a jewellery store heist, which goes badly wrong. The survivors meet up at the pre-determined location and the recriminations start over who ratted them out to the police.

At first glance, there's not much terribly original about that, but Tarantino breathes new life into a tired genre. For a start, he takes the brave, but sensible decision to barely show the actual heist. Most of the film takes place in the aftermath, examining at how each of the characters react. By ignoring what would be the central piece of most films, Tarantino immediately sets up Reservoir Dogs as something a little different.

True, this does mean that anyone drawn to Dogs expecting an action-fest will be disappointed. Despite a reputation for violence, there is very little in the way of gun-play and the film seems curiously squeamish at times. Certainly there is plenty of the red stuff around, but actual graphic depictions of violence are almost non-existent Even during the notorious Mr Blonde dance/torture scene, the camera pans away at a crucial moment, leaving our imagination to do the work. This serves to heighten the fear and tension far more effectively than reality ever could.

Then there's the way Tarantino gradually builds the plot and the characters, drip-feeding us information so that we slowly get to understand the full extent of what has happened. Whilst it can be initially confusing, since the film is chronologically displaced and leaps around like a scalded cat, it's ultimately very rewarding as you slowly realise how everything links up and piece together precisely what has happened.

There's also the inspired dialogue. Whilst it might not yet have hit the heights of Pulp Fiction, there's plenty of great stuff in there to make you laugh and think. Tarantino has a way of taking entire scenes which are completely irrelevant and making them essential viewing, whilst adding depth and colour. A prime case in point is an extended scene towards the start of the film where the various characters sit in a diner discussing whether you should automatically leave a tip, regardless of the service. Normally, I'd lambast such things as irrelevant filler, but in the hands of QT these digressions are usually fascinating, frequently funny and make the film appear more real, rather than an on-rails sequence of events leading to a pre-ordained conclusion. This is how real people talk, moving from trivial things to important mattes with no real sense of logic or coherence. And because his characters come across as real people the viewer is more prepared to invest in them emotionally.

The great script and fizzing dialogue are delivered with aplomb by a strong cast. Whilst many people like Michael Madsen's Mr Blonde or Steve Buscemi's slightly edgy Mr Pink, for me, the real plaudits go to Harvey Keitel (Mr White) and Tim Roth (Mr Orange). It's through the eyes of this pair that we see much of the action unfold and they provide much of the film's heart. Hardened, violent criminals they might be, but you can't help but have a sneaking admiration for them all and it's testimony to the acting skills on display that they make a thoroughly dislikeable bunch fun to be with. Some may dislike it, but in QT's world, it's cool to be crim!

And speaking of Tarantino, for such a novice director he shows an assured hand and a good eye for how to frame a shot. His camera work is uniformly excellent, almost unfailingly choosing precisely the right angle to heighten the tension or add a sense of impish fun, or establish whatever mood suits the individual scene.

Of course, as with any Tarantino film, there is lots of bad language. Scarcely a sentence goes by without someone using the F word or other profanity. On one level this underlines the gritty realism of these characters. You would expect hardened criminals to use such language and it would be a little ridiculous is they responded to a bad situation with a casual "Oops. Deary, deary me". However, if you find almost constant, repeated bad language offensive, then Reservoir Dogs is not for you.

The film does sometimes betray its low budget origins. Although Tarantino cleverly limits the action to a few simple locations, the lack of money does show. You certainly get the impression that there are some scenes where he would have liked to have done more, but didn't have the cash, although the lack of budget is most noticeable in the sound quality. This can be slightly muffled or hard to hear in some scenes (particularly if you are watching on video, rather than DVD) and this can be frustrating as you strain to try and hear what the actors are saying.

Reservoir Dogs' big accomplishment is to take a formulaic genre and turn it on its head. Many will argue that Pulp Fiction is a more accomplished film (it's certainly a more visually attractive and complex one). Personally though, I would willingly enter a Mexican stand-off with anyone to argue that this first film remains Tarantino's best.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Awesome debut

Following a jewellry heist gone awry, the thieves meet up at an abandoned warehouse. The colour coded criminals Mr White (Harvey Keitel), Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) and the badly wounded Mr Orange (Tim Roth) are the first to arrive. The jittery Mr Pink is able to convince Mr White that there is an informant within the group who has tipped off the police. To make matters worse, they then have to deal with the violent Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen). What they don't realise is that there is actually an undercover cop in their midst.

Originally planned to be a $30,000 production starring Tarantino's friends, once Harvey Keitel came on board as actor/co-producer, the budget granted the (then unknown) director swelled to $1.5 million. Kept to the constraints of a comparatively modest budget this, for me, remains Tarantino's best, and most focused effort. Unlike his later efforts which had bloated runtimes (and in the case of Kill Bill required the splitting of the story into two films), Reservoir Dogs comes in at a lean 98 minutes. There are no un-necessary elements to the story, and through the judicious use of flashbacks we learn everything we need to learn about each protagnist - those that don't get a flashback don't need one. Also, since he was still learning his trade at this point, Tarantino keeps the flashy techniques to a minimum and it flows almost like a stageplay with the majority of the film in one location. It is all the better for it. There have been accusations levelled at the film that it plagiarises a number of others, most notably the Hong Kong film City Of Fire. Tarantino fired back that he paid homage to other films rather than ripped them off - where the distinction is made between plagiarism and homage I'm unsure, but yes both films do follow the same storylines, but Reservoir Dogs is by far the superior film, mainly thanks to the script and acting.

The dialogue fully embraced pop culture, adding discussion regarding the meaning behind Madonna song lyrics and obscure TV shows starring Pam Grier. At that point no one else was doing this and it felt incredibly fresh - it wasn't to last though, as following the success of this and Pulp Fiction there was then a barrage of inferior films trying to ape this style of dialogue. Even now though, Reservoir Dogs has a spirit and verve to its script, which is spoken by some very accomplished actors.

It must have been like manna from heaven for Tarantino having the acting talent of Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Michael Madsen at his disposal on his debut. Although they are all essentially playing tough guys, they still put enough character and style into each character to make them all memorable - particularly the brilliant Buscemi as the smart mouth Mr Pink and the softly spoken psycho act of Madsen as Mr Blonde. A negative comes in the form of Tarantino finding a role for himself - then and now, the man can't act. And despite a good acting job by Roth, I find his American accent pretty ropey. Those are only very minor faults though.

This heralded the entrance of a major directorial talent, one which I personally don't think he's ever surpassed.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Not as original as many think but still clever

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

Quentin Tarantino shot to fame with the release of Reservoir Dogs, an insanely influential crime thriller that doesn't just focus on guns and glory, but an almost European sensibility with regard to its form - dialogue is delivered leisurely, musing on life issues and pop culture, making most thrillers of the time seem outmoded and overly self-serious.

The film involves a number of men planning a bank robbery - they are Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel). It also deals with the possibility that one of the men is an undercover cop, and the mess that ensues once the robbery gets botched and they have to escape to a warehouse.

It's a stunning debut and one of the best that cinema has ever seen, although I do feel that perhaps some let Tarantino get away with too much - it may be formalistically inventive to American audiences who've not seen this sort of structure-bending form before, but he borrows a lot, particularly from Ringo Lam's film City on Fire, which he copies the Mexican Standoff from almost entirely. It's all well and good saying that Tarantino's a master of homage and pastiche, but he's also a rather shameless pilferer, and still maintains that he didn't rip-off City on Fire despite it being obvious that he did.

Nevertheless, the script is undeniably stunning - and the performances from the great cast are immaculate. It's also incredibly iconic, particularly the scene where the robbers all walk along the street in slow motion.

Another great turn from Tarantino. The conversational style of dialogue here is superb, and the little anecdotes and nuances are a nice way to pad out the action sequences. The ending is truly excellent, also.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

A worthy effort

This review was originally written by myself here:www.fritzlfan.wordpress.com

Though clearly hugely influenced by his cinematic idols, Tarantino created an original piece with Reservoir Dogs, rather than a session of copying scenes from several of his influences as he has fell victim to of late. This, his debut, gave Hollywood a jolt of life, inspiring many present-day film makers, though whether this is necessarily a good thing or not is debatable. Reservoir Dogs gave Tarantino his own style of film making, one which relied heavily on its scripting and dialogue rather than the plot or the action. Whatever you think of the man's talent in the director's chair, it is difficult to refute his talents in enacting the writing processes.

Reservoir Dogs, which remains Tarantino's best work, is very much an ensemble piece. A group of successful and independent criminals are assigned the collective task of robbing a bank. They are given colours to protect their identities from each other - Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Brown and so on and so forth.

The leading actor in the film is Harvey Keitel, playing the experienced and wise criminal Mr. White. Coming the same year as his iconic and cult hit Bad Lieutenant, Keitel became a popular actor again after his small roles in films such as Taxi Driver. Other actors throughout the film were not quite as established as Keitel was; the careers were given a boost because of Reservoir Dogs - Steve Buscemi, for example.

Looking back over Tarantino's more recent oeuvre, it is a shame to see that he has left behind his instincts and noticeable abilities at creating great characters - instead he relies upon countless references to films which he would likely consider obscure and trying to remain as the hip young director of modern mainstream cinema.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Best crime film ever.

I've never been a big fan of Quinten Tarantino, but damn is this film good, I never got the whole point of Kill Bill and all of his gory films, for me gore doesn't mean a film is good, I've also only seen various parts of Pulp Fiction, perhaps it's also time I watch that film...

The film starts...well ends...well, the start of the film is what the rest of the film will try and explain, a rather poorly looking Mr Orange, thats right, Orange, in the back of a car being driven somewhere by the aptly named...Mr White, before setting down in a warehouse of sorts discussing what just went majorly wrong with there last 'job'.

As mr Orange lay dying on the floor of the warehouse, the story unfolds from the beginning and through various characters view points, most notedly mr White, Pink and Oranges, now why are they all named after different colours?

The reason given by Joe...the head of the gang, being to keep each others true identity away from each other thus not exposing each other and ultimatley Joe in case one or another gets caught by the police on this raid, the raid being to steal a briefcase of diamonds from a jewellery store...but the police were waiting for them, how did they know?

The film basically starts from the point where the guys meet before the job and take us through the backstory leading up to said job and then through and after it to tell us the entire story, the film I believe sets the plot line out in a very clever way, telling us what happend at the start leads us to question throughout the film what really happend, I really like the way that we get told the ending of the heist, then the whole backstory before going beyond the heist into the aftermath, in a way the story tells us the middle first, the beginning 2nd and the ending, well at the end.

The casting is brilliant in all roles, Tim Roth you could say is the lead actor in the film as mr Orange, he's the one who is dying in the back seat of the car a the start, Buscemi, Madsen and Keitel are brilliant also and Baltz in the scene with Madsen in the warehouse is equally as superb, that sense obviously being highly famous now and the beginning of something big for 'Stuck in the middle with you'

The film is well known for it's violent and aggressive nature, the 'f' word is used almost 300 times in total and there are large parts of the film almost dedicated to the upbrining of blood right from the off, thus making this film an 18 certificate. Usually violence and swearing doesn't exactly make a great film, it certainly doesn't make this film but it wouldn't be the same thats for sure.

The plot is brilliant and the shooting of the film was superb, the plot is very simple and if heard of before it sounds like a 20 minute film, go rob a jewellers and take the diamonds, simple isn't it, how long can that film last, the fact the film flies by and is over before you know it before the apparent limited plot is amazing, at over an hour and a half the film is far too short, or it seems it, the whole film and story revolves around the character development and the characters keeping out interest through dialogue, this many films now can not do. The film was shot on a tiny budget as well, little over $1m, this means the actors having to use their own cars and clothes for many parts of the filming, again, proof that usually low budget films are better...because they rely on the whole acting and story...isn't that what films should be about?

Overall, I have just finished watching this for the second time and had forgotten how good it really is, with a brilliant cast, brilliant story, brilliant production and a low budget Tarantino has produced one of the greatest films in cinematic history, I don't get many of his films...but I certainly get the whole fuss over this one.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Heist gone wrong which results in a cinematic masterpiece,

I knew very little about this film going in. I knew they were all named after colours and walked about in cheap black suits, that was about it. This is actually the first Tarantino film I've ever watched, other than blurry segments of Pulp Fiction during a party at 1 in the morning and I'm very glad I did.

To summarise the story in a sentence, the film depicts the events before and after a botched jewel heist. I'll leave it at that, I don't want to give anything away until you see it for yourself. It's best to go in like I did, knowing nothing.

The plot unfolds fantastically. Tarantino knows exactly when to reveal the right details and when it's time to take a little look into the past. The result is everything coming together in one gradual fluid motion which is so tremendously riveting to watch.

Let me get this much straight: the plot is great but it's the characters who truly make the film. I'm pretty damn sure Tarantino knows this as well. On the opening scene, we're straight into the eight men conversing while eating at a diner. It's almost like he's saying "Okay, here are the guys you're going to get to know for the next hour and a bit,".

As hard as it may seem to like a group of cop-killing scumbags, you subliminally end up ranking them in your head according to their of varying degrees of likability. It's almost like you pick your favourites and hope for the best. Given that almost all of the current story takes place in the same warehouse, it's almost like watching a sort of Big Brother with more guns.

Despite getting some undeserved criticism for the "torture" scene, I honestly didn't think it (the gore) was that bad (you could easily find worse) and the whole sequence worked like poetry. Tarantino, didn't just think "I'll make this guy suffer cos' I wanna be outrageous" - it was the physiological aspect he played on and he did it well.

Just so you know, the film is littered with derogatory comments about black people but you shouldn't let that bother you, given the context of the company combined with the location it would almost be strange to not have some vile unjustified comments against black people.

I'm glad that Tarantino had the balls to put this and the torture scene in, the result makes you feel as though you are watching a genuine uncensored story.

The ending is no exception to the excellence exhibited throughout and is very cleverly constructed. The bottom line? I could watch this over and over and never get bored.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Tarantino's first - one of the best debut films of all time

In 1992 Quentin Tarantino's debut film was released to a shocked worldwide audience. Little had previously been takled about in regards to the talent and hype that we now take for granted from Tarantino, his arrival on the scene fast and without any real film background to speak of.

Reservoir Dogs is one of those films you will love or hate. It is a simple story of a bank heist gone wrong, except that the story is pretty much confined to what happens after the event, with of glimpses of flashback to show what happened.

The very opening scene throws you from the start, and we immediately meet our main players. Mr Pink, Mr Blonde etc are sitting around a diner table talking and chilling out, and this sets us off on the backfoot. As is now commonplace amongst Tarantino movies, we get an earful of commentry between the characters, without much added to the plot. But this is all done to show depth to the characters and to make them more believeable, and contains the now infamous 'Madonna speech'. Also of note is a great little dance and a Picasso-esque ear scene!

The film is violent, humorous (adult in nature) and the timeline is non-linear, but this is a film well worth investing the time in for the reward you will get back. Again, there are many different-looking copies out to buy, but the one to get is most probably the 15th Anniversary edition in a red metal tin (shaped like an American petrol gallon tank. This has the most extra features, including commentaries, and should be cool enough for any QT fan.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fantastic film

Reservoir Dogs is a stunning example of why Quentin Tarantino has acquired a reputation as one of the world's leading directors and received such a large following. The film has a really clever plot- if one were to say to is about a bank heist then it may sound normal, but actually the film is about a failed bank heist and more to the point the events following the failed heist. With much of the film set in a grey, empty and concreted warehouse it may come as a surprise that there is never really a boring moment in this film.

Tarantino puts his trademark characteristics to this film mainly by using a superbly selected soundtrack, much of which works as a radio station throughout the film- to top this off, Tarantino gets Steven Wright to do the radio voiceovers. The soundtrack is that good that it actually provides a very well known film moment when he chooses to use 'Stuck in the Middle With You'.

The cast is typically strong, including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and more, with Tarantino even contributing a reasonably famous film monologue. If you haven't watched this then get it watched, even if you aren't a fan of Tarantino's other work.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

perfect Tarantino's film

Reservoir Dogs was released in year 1992. The movie was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. He also acted in the movie. It was his debut film as a director. Reservoir Dogs is a perfect thriller. The greatest film of all time.

Harvey Keitel played a role of Mr. White, a perfect thief. His real name is Lawrence.Tim Roth played a role of Mr. Orange.Chris Penn played a role if Eddie Cabot. He is a son of Joe Cabot.Michael Madsen played a role of Mr. Blonde, a psychopathic criminal.Quentin Tarantino played a role of Mr. Brown.Lawrence Tierney played a role of Joe Cabot, the mastermind behind this robbery. He plans everything and the name of the members was given by him.Steve Buscemi played a role of Mr. Pink.The part of Mr. Blue was played by Edward Bunker.

In the beginning eight men is discussing about a song "Like a Virgin's" by Madonna. In the next scene Mr. White is driving car and Mr. Orange was sitting on back seat. He has been shot by COP. Both arrives somewhere in Warehouse. Then Mr. Pink comes in the scene and says heist was setup. Where the COP's did came from?

Mr. Blonde shot some of the civilian's because they push the alarm button while stealing diamonds. Mr. White and Mr. Pink are blaming him for this entire. Mr. Brown was already killed by police. Mr. Blonde comes in the warehouse and tells not to leave the warehouse till Eddie come. He says he has surprise. He opens his trunk of the car to reveal a Marvin Nash. He is a police office. Mr. Blonde captured him while chasing.

They all tape him to the chair and want to know who the Cop among them is. The officer says he don't know anything. Suddenly Eddie comes in the warehouse and took Mr. White and Mr. Pink to retrieve the stolen diamonds. In warehouse Mr. Blonde cuts the ear of the police officer. When Mr. Pink and Mr. White returned to warehouse with Eddie and Joe they found Mr. Blonde dead. Now who killed Mr. Blonde? Who is a Cop among them? I don't want to tell the rest of the part of the movie. Otherwise there is no use of watching this movie. To reveal the mystery watch "Reservoir Dogs".

One day I was searching for the movie on IMDB. Suddenly my eyes went on the title "Reservoir Dogs". I thought movie was of year 1992 and little bit old. But after reading the reviews I thought I should go for this. While watching movie I thought my decision is right. As time passes movie is creating more mystery and thrill. And what to say about performances of lead actors. All did a very good job especially Mr. White and Mr. Pink, The role of Tarantino is very small but was nice and direction is very impressive. After watching Reservoir Dogs I am a great fan of Tarantino and after that I have seen most of the movies directed by Tarantino including Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Grindhouse. That's all from my side if you like to watch thrillers and mysteries than definitely you should go for this.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Watch.

Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking debut Reservoir Dogs is now a cult classic, although I'm still finding it difficult to find out why.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Reservoir Dogs. I thought the plotline was good, the characters were strong (although a little bit of crappy acting from Nice Guy Eddie) and it was cleverly told with a brilliant script.Harvey Kietel, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen and Tim Roth all give great performances, and Tarantino's way of story telling is fantastic. My favourite scene (I'm sure it's alot of other people's as well) is probably the infamous part where Mr. Blonde (Madsen) tortures a cop just for the sheer hell of it to Stealer's Wheels 70s Classic "Stuck in the Middle with You."

I would recommend this for the sheer brilliance of the way it is shot and the script, however I did find it quite slow and a bit hard to get into. Pulp Fiction's better.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Enthralling crime masterpiece. One of the best movies ever made.

Quentin Tarantino's first movie has already become the stuff of movie legend and deservedly bears the sometimes overused label "modern classic". The story is so well known it's barely worth summarising: It concerns six bank robbers, strangers to one another, who are brought together to commit what ought to be the perfect heist. However, it quickly becomes clear that one of these men isn't thinking about the money...

From the first frame, Reservoir Dogs immediately demands attention be paid. As the film continues towards its horrific, yet strangely inevitable conclusion, the viewer is plunged neck deep into a fascinating and utterly convincing world of ruthless criminals who, in spite of their actions, never lose their humanity. The performances are all excellent, without the slightest exception, but I think the acting honours must go to then newcomer Steve Buscemi (Mr Pink.) whose every line bleeds authenticity and absolute authority.

When this film was released, moral crusaders argued it could inspire copycat violence. Don't believe a word of it. The wretched fates of these characters provide the best cinematic argument I've ever seen for going straight.

Comments

Product Details

Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e. a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them colour-coded aliases (Mr Orange, Mr Pink, Mr White) to conceal their identities even from each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception and betrayal.As many critics have observed, it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption, and Jackie Brown is about survival). Along with everything else, the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn and Tarantino himself, offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogs is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit), clever, gabby, harrowing, funny, suspenseful and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack, either.) Reservoir Dogs deserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up, Pulp Fiction, would receive two years later. --Jim Emerson